Chapel Hill Funeral Home

The nonprofit Funeral Consumer Society of Colorado estimates a traditional funeral, including a casket and vault, now runs about $8,500. Extras like flowers, obituary notices, acknowledgment cards and limousines to move the family to the grave site can cost additional thousands. As a country, we spend billions of dollars every year arranging two million funerals for family and friends.Many feel uncomfortable comparing prices or negotiating the details. The experts at the Funeral Consumer Society say many people overspend because they think not doing so shows a lack of love for the deceased, or they do it simply out of feelings of guilt.When a family's children are suddenly in charge of the details, they find themselves in completely unfamiliar territory and spend large sums because they are unaware of any of the options. It becomes a chaotic and expensive process that can actually divide siblings and result in years of bad feelings.Some will actually send their families deep into debt to pay for a funeral, which of course they regret when the bills began to arrive weeks later.9NEWS Senior Source says the big problem is that fewer than two in 10 of us - ages 65 to 74 - are making any plans for our burial. Over age 74, it doesn't get much better. Only three in 10 of us make any plans.The Funeral Consumer Society says you don't have to "pre-pay" to smooth the process. In fact, they recommend against that practice. But they strongly advise that you do "pre-plan" to avoid what the funeral industry calls "grief spending."Funeral directors are often blamed when unprepared families "grief spend" thousands of unnecessary dollars, but it's not entirely their fault. If you as a consumer are armed with just a little information, and if you leave suggestions for how you'd like your burial to proceed, you can save your family from a lot of turmoil, and also save thousands of dollars in the process.There's even one free option. You can send yourself into the great beyond without spending one penny. In ... (9News.com KUSA)